gifts that keep on giving

a lot of gift giving went on this past weekend - lots of toys, sweaters, gadgets and bling wrapped in boxes and bows under glowing trees worldwide - wish lists waiting to come true.  

have you ever thought about skipping the whole consumer hoopla one year and giving, in loved ones names, to a well deserving and life changing cause? here is nicholas kirstof's great annual charity gift guide filled with great organization's that help sustain, protect, nourish and rescue women and children worldwide. 

i hardly remember any of the gifts i received decades ago - but i still have the human rights watch folder a friend gave me in high school, with a card saying a donation in my name had been made to help expose and document human rights violations in south africa and palestine. i've been donating annually to hrw ever since, so in a way, her gift over 20 years ago continues to give.

i'm thinking next year, everyone gets heifer international goats and chickens in their names! 

senna

i watched the sundance winning documentary about ayrton senna last night and i couldn't agree more with what kenneth turan of the los angeles times said of the movie - "sometimes a documentary will unexpectedly reach out and grab you by the throat, not giving you a second to breath. such is the power of this man, and this film." 
rent this brilliant documentary - the best i've seen this year.

world clock

i'm always calculating what time it is in london or rio or some other place where a loved one lives. is it too early to call - too late? 
this handy website does all the 'what time is it in....?' work for you - no finger counting necessary... 

music monday - last christmas

it had to be said at some point on this blog that i have had a (not so) secret crush on george michael long before he got caught in a beverly hills restroom with his pants down and had to finally come out of the closet - he is the perfect flawed pop star and wrote my favorite cheerful cheezy holiday pop christmas tune of all time. ever. 
i'm going to be humming to this one all day.....

dear santa...

...i'm not feeling very jolly or jingly this year - but a short naughty and nice list of gorgeous leather play things magically put a smile on this bah humbug feeling girl.
have a great wonderful christmas weekend - filled with everything your heart (and feet) desire.

yves saint laurent riding boot
(do you see the ' y ' on the top side, santa)?

3.1 phillip lim 31 hour bag

louboutin shelly

treatful

forgot to get a gift for someone on your list this week? here a great site that allows you to send instant gift certificates (via email) to some of the best restaurants in town. you can search by neighborhood (currently only available in los angeles, new york, san francisco or chicago), price point, cuisine or occasion. 
dinner, your treat!

cacio e pepe

i absolutely love cacio e pepe and this easy recipe was just what i was craving a couple of nights ago - the perfect last minute comfort food dinner.
buon appetito !

read more

here are the top ten books of 2011 as selected by the new york times - the book lovers in your orbit will surely love at least a couple of these under the christmas tree.

and for the book loving little ones - here is the times' 2011 list of notable children's reads. 

music monday - cesaria evora

cesaria evora passed away on saturday, so in her honor, my favorite, beautiful evora song. 

hike with a view

one of the greatest living in los angeles perks is the countless short (and long) hikes available right in the heart of the city. you can get out of your car and within 5 minutes be on a trail in the middle of a hill with amazing views of the city or the coast. 
runyon canyon, in the hills above hollywood, is where the 'cool on the way to an audition kids' and their "cool furry sweater dogs" gather on any given morning for an hour long loop hike. it gets crowded and dusty and really hot in the summer - but on a crisp clear sunny winter morning - it's the perfect place to burn a few calories and remind yourself just how beautiful the city of angels can be.
have a gorgeous weekend, with fabulous views!

cocoa craving

i've been craving hot chocolate for the past couple of weeks- not the watered down, luke warm artificial powdered stuff - but a rich, creamy, not too sweet, hot cup of cocoa perfection.
clementine, in century city serves one of my favorites - a delicious, rich, creamy mug topped with big homemade marshmallows. there are also great cups of hot chocolate served at le pain quotidien in beverly hills, intelligentsia coffee in silver lake, joan's on third in west hollywood, compartes chocolates in brentwood, churros calientes in santa monica or sabor y cultura in hollywood. 
thick chocolate moustaches not included!

gypsy water

you can smell a dozen perfume bottles and come across one and know instantly that it's the one you want - a bottle meant just for you - your scent. 
my nose and i are in love with this beautifully bottled and packaged perfume - a new scent for winter and the coming new year..

pizza round town

there are tons of amazing things to eat in this city i call home - delicious burgers, tacos, sushi...you could eat out for 365 days in los angeles and it's suburbs and never regret a bite. if it's pizza you are craving on any of those days there there are two options that shine and showcase some of the best of the best the la food scene has to offer.
if you find yourself east of beverly hills then drive down melrose and pull up a stool at pizzeria mozza, order a squash blossom and burrata topped plate of heaven and make sure to save room for the amazing butterscotch & sea salt budino dessert.

if, on the other hand, you are on the west side, then get in line at milo and olive and bite into slices of butternut squash & farm egg or homemade pork belly sausage & tomato pies - both perfectly crisp and chewy plates of pizza perfection!

bon appetito! 

music monday - the little drummer boy

bowie and bing - if this doesn't get you in the holiday spirit, then you're a scrooge!
bah humbug!

biscuits (from a can)

i don't know how to make biscuits. it is probably really easy--and i know that a quick google search will result in exactly the right recipe. during a "just a couple of things" grocery run a few afternoons ago, i happened upon the refrigerator case full of ready-made rolls and reached for the fat one marked "flaky layers," hoping that somewhere in the foodie universe i would not have karma points taken away from me by michael pollan and alice waters.
after nearly having a hear attack when my cardboard roll exploded open, i baked the biscuits, slathered them with slabs of italian butter (bonus foodie points), and devoured three salty sweet hot buttered pieces. there are times when highly processed ready-to-bake is exactly what a girl needs.

have a delicious weekend filled with whatever you are craving!

before i die...

candy chang turned an abandoned wall in her new orleans neighborhood into a giant chalkboard stenciled with the sentence "before i die, i want to...." transforming a neglected building into a contemplative and engaging community hub  - starbucks without the bad coffee. 
her chalkboard walls have popped up in numerous countries, creating a creative global community art project and proving again that the simplest words have the clearest voice.

*photos courtesy of beforeidie.cc

eat your veggies

i'm not a chef and i don't have kids, but i love food and harmonious delicious family dinners where everyone practically licks their plates clean. i come from a family where my one and a half year old niece demands capers and olives for breakfast and my almost four year old nephew sucks out bone marrow at dinner (but then again, one of them refuses to eat any fruit and the other is allergic to all dairy).
this new cookbook seems like a great way to broaden your little one's (and some picky parents) pallets and introduce them to a variety of fresh new yummy ingredients. 

double feature

i need to catch up on some recent movies and these two have been on my must watch list for a couple of months. both the descendants and shame have been getting great reviews and oscar buzz is building.
i'm thinking it's time for a matinee - an afternoon with mr. clooney or an nc-17 about sex addiction. large popcorn please!

music monday - christmastime is here

the holiday season does not arrive until vince guaraldi's charlie brown christmas gets played. 
the best christmas album ever. 
period.

b & b

i love winter in southern california, when the rest of the country is under a winter storm wind chill warning and we are jingle belling in 60 degree sunshine- but sometimes, just sometimes, i crave a chilly winter east coast weekend spent in a beautiful bed and breakfast - wrapped in a warm soft blanket and cozy warm slippers with a fireplace, big bowls of soup, a dozen magazines and home made cookies galore - stonover farm in lenox, massachusetts looks like the perfect place for a winter hibernating weekend - a bed and breakfast with no lace or four poster beds in sight - divine! 
have a dreamy december weekend!

i magination

i just came across this awesome little new york times piece by christoph niemann from a couple of years ago. so simple, imaginative and brilliant. 
put down the ipad kids and start digging into your lego bins!